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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27302629">Captain America Goes Trick Or Treating</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce'>lola381pce</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Family Fluff, Fanboy Phil Coulson, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Kid Fic, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, References to Illness, Single Parents, Trick or Treating</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:28:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,998</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27302629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lola381pce/pseuds/lola381pce</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A wlwpropmpts Halloween prompt: Person A is a single parent whose child gets terribly sick right before Halloween which means they can’t go trick or treating. While Person A spends Halloween night trying to nurse their child back to health, Person B spends it out trick or treating in their place, and afterward goes to deliver all the candy they got for A and their kid.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clint Barton/Phil Coulson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Captain America Goes Trick Or Treating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Phil's key is barely in the lock when the door of his recently moved-in neighbour opens across the hall. Phil ignores the butterflies in his stomach (okay, he's been harbouring a pathetic crush since Clint and his daughter, Katie, moved in a couple of months ago) but leaves his warm smile in place when he looks over his shoulder to say hi. It quickly disappears, replaced with a look of concern at Clint's worried expression.</p><p>"Hi, Clint. What's wrong?" he asks, turning around to face him.</p><p>Clint ducks his head, his left hand straying upward to rub the back of his neck. "That obvious," he says with a rueful smile.</p><p>"Little bit," Phil agrees. "Katie alright?"</p><p>Phil does his best to ignore the way Clint chews his bottom lip before he answers. It's probably not meant to be as adorable as it looks.</p><p>"Actually, not so much. She's been a little off the last few days so I kept her home but today she's been running a bit of a temperature. I phoned the doc, an' apparently there's some bug going around the kids at Katie's school. Anyway she's suggested some over the counter meds I can get from the pharmacy but…"</p><p>Phil cuts him off. "Give me the list and... I'll go pick them up."</p><p>The desperately grateful look Clint gives him sets the butterflies off again.</p><p>"You sure? I hate to ask but I can't leave her an' I really don't want to get her out of a warm bed to take her with me."</p><p>"Pretty sure I offered before you asked, so moot point. Anything else you need? Bread, milk, Captain Crunch?"</p><p>Clint blushes at the mention of his favourite cereal which Phil and his butterflies find totally endearing. Much to Clint's horror, Katie had advised Phil of her father's weakness at great length during the ride up in the elevator one day.</p><p>"Umm… all of the above?"</p><p>Phil smiles. "Add it to the list. I'll get what you need."</p><p>"Thanks, Phil. I really appreciate it. Just sorry for putting you out."</p><p>"Clint, I’m happy to help. Really. Let me get changed and I'll pick it up from you." He turns back to open his door then stops. "If it helps," he throws over his shoulder, "I need to get some things myself anyway. I was just coming home to do a quick stocktake and head back out. See you in fifteen?"</p><p>Clint's firmly convinced Phil's the kind of guy who knows exactly what's in his cupboards at all times but he's grateful Phil's not making a big deal of helping him out. And maybe if he wants to bend the truth a little to make him feel better, well that's kinda sweet in Clint's eyes.</p><p>"Perfect," he nods.</p><p>Exactly fifteen minutes later, there's a gentle knock on Clint's door. Some people might find his punctuality creepy but Clint finds it... reassuring actually.</p><p>Already prepared, Clint opens up with his list and some bills in his hand. What he's not prepared for, however, is the sight of casual Phil in jeans, sweater, and a leather jacket. But then, he's never prepared for the sight of casual Phil. Especially if he's wearing those glasses with the thick black frames. Which he is.</p><p>"Thanks again for this, Phil," he says, trying not to swallow his tongue. "Tell me if I owe you anything, yeah?"</p><p>Oblivious, Phil accepts the page torn from a notebook folded around the money from Clint’s outstretched hand. "I'm sure it'll be fine but… yeah, I'll let you know."</p><p>It makes no odds to Phil if the money’s short but in the brief time he's known his neighbour, he figures, correctly, it'll be a point of principle if Clint ends up owing him.</p><p>Clint feels a tug of his jeans and looks down to see his daughter hanging on to him with a woebegone expression. “Aw baby, no. What’re you doing out of bed?” Clint says to her, placing his hand gently on top of her head. She’s still running a temperature.</p><p>“I heard Mr Phil,” Katie replies. Her voice is croaky and tired, and Phil’s heart goes out to her. He doesn’t have much experience with children but Katie has always been polite and well-behaved, and definitely funny - however unintentional sometimes. The Captain Crunch story springs to mind again.</p><p>"Hey, Katie," Phil says kindly, hunkering down to be at her height level. Another plus point for Clint. "Your daddy says you're not feeling so great."</p><p>Admittedly, Katie does look poorly with her pale complexion, and her hair plastered to a sweat-dampened forehead.</p><p>"I barfed all over my bed, Mr Phil," she tells him, matter-of-factly.</p><p>“Huh, that’s not good,” Phil agrees sympathetically.</p><p>“And over Daddy,” she adds, resting her head against Clint’s hip.</p><p>The muscles in Phil’s jaw tighten as he tries not to laugh. “Well, I’m sure you couldn't help it. And… your daddy always seems pretty forgiving.”</p><p>“Yeah, he’s the best daddy,” she says looking up at him, her expression loving but her eyes glazed with fever.</p><p>Clint bends down to pick Katie up in his arms and she cuddles into him, face pressed into the crook of his neck.</p><p>“I have my cell phone if you need anything else,” Phil says as he rises from his crouched position. “Otherwise I’ll be back in no time. Feel better soon, Katie.”</p><p>“Thanks, Mr Phil,” she mumbles into Clint’s neck, sounding half-asleep already.</p><p>“Thanks, Phil. I'll leave the door unlocked, just come in. No need to knock," Clint says, gently rubbing soothing circles on his daughter's back.</p><p>Phil nods with a reassuring smile, touched by the trust Clint's placed in him.</p><p>*</p><p>As instructed, Phil lets himself into the apartment when he returns. There's no sign of Clint so he presumes he must be with his daughter. The layout is similar to his place and he takes the groceries to the kitchen, which runs open-plan to the living area. He empties the bags intended for the Bartons onto the counter and puts the fridge and freezer perishables away. The rest he leaves for Clint along with the meds which he’s set to the side for Clint to see straight away.</p><p>There's one thing left and he's not sure what to do with it. He spotted it while he was shopping and bought it on impulse. Tomorrow is Halloween and it seems pretty obvious Katie isn't going to be well enough to go trick or treating. While she's likely to be disappointed when she feels better, he hopes the storybook about a witch's reluctant familiar, a little dog called Spook, will help her get over it.</p><p>He leaves the book on top of the meds and heads to the door to slip away when a pile of clothes draped over the couch catches his eye. Or more correctly, a costume which he recognises as Hawkeye the Avenger, with a Katie-sized version beside it.</p><p>Phil smiles, an idea forming in his head. Even if she's not well, there's no reason for Katie to miss out on trick or treating completely. He's not going to say anything though in case he chickens out last minute. Speaking of chicken, he has a pot of soup to make.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey uh, hi… Um, I’m not sure what to...” Clint stammers from the open doorway, unable to tear his gaze from the neighbour he previously figured was cute but just a little straightlaced. Boy, was he wrong! “Hey, Katie Kate. What do you think?”</p><p>“You look awesome!” she replies, her eyes wide and round. She looks a little better than yesterday but still sick enough to be in her Hawkeye pyjamas, held in Clint's arms.</p><p>Phil Captain America grins back at her, a blush creeping along his cheekbones, just visible below the blue helmet. He snaps her a smart salute with two fingers pressed to his temple.</p><p>"Well, thank you, ma'am." He holds up a pumpkin-shaped bucket almost overflowing with Halloween treats. "Say, I managed to liberate some candy from the neighbours holding it captive. Think your daddy might be able to keep it safe for a few days until you feel better?"</p><p>Katie giggles and presses her face into Clint's neck. "Yeah… thank you."</p><p>"My pleasure."</p><p>With a smile, Clint takes the bucket from him, careful not to spill anything. “Thanks, Cap. I’d invite you in but..."</p><p>He trails off sounding genuinely sorry which makes Phil’s stomach roll and flip. Maybe the Deadly Assassin in number seven was right. He points his thumb over his shoulder. “I’d better get back anyway. End of the month reports wait for no man. Not even Captain America. If you need anything though...”</p><p>Clint’s smile deepens into a cocky grin. “I’ll be right at your door.”</p><p>Phil rolls his eyes and turns to go when Clint’s quiet voice calls him back. “Thank you, Phil. Seriously. You didn’t have to. An' the pot of soup is hella tasty. Totally above an' beyond."</p><p>Phil taps his fingers against his temple again. "My genuine pleasure, sir."</p><p>Clint snorts. Katie giggles. And Phil retreats to his apartment with a wide smile on his face.</p><p>*</p><p>It's been years since Phil's been to a Comicon. He'd been a regular at a couple of the major ones each year when he could, hence the Captain America costume, but dressing up and going trick or treating had been surprisingly fun (if a little embarrassing at first). Once he'd explained that his neighbour's six-year-old daughter was ill and couldn't make it out this year the other residents of the brownstone had been incredibly generous. It didn't stop him from receiving more than his fair share of leg-pulling, of course…</p><p><strong>Number three</strong><br/>
Nick had opened the door dressed as a pirate, stared at him with his one good eye for a moment, finally muttering, "Sonofabitch! Fucking knew it. Make sure I get the whole story another time." before plying him with candy and sending him on his way, his loud guffaws and shout of “Hill, Sitwell, guess who the fuck I just saw?” echoing in Phil's ears.</p><p><strong>Number seven</strong><br/>
Natasha, the Deadly Assassin a few doors along, had raised a curious eyebrow when she'd seen him. However, her knowing look when she dropped candy into the bucket had been a little unnerving. “Being Captain America looks good on you, Phil,” she smirked.</p><p>From his cheeks to the tips of his ears glowed red at the compliment, and he ducked his head, flashing her a shy smile as he tapped two fingers against his brow. “Very kind of you, Ma’am,” he replied.</p><p>"I'm sure Hawkeye will love it. Although…" she paused for effect, "...I have it on good authority he definitely likes the suits. And the jeans," she'd winked as she'd closed the door leaving him stunned on the other side.</p><p><strong>Number twelve</strong><br/>
As with all the other neighbours in the building so far, flatmates Thor and Bruce greeted Phil at their door in costume. In a guise befitting his Scandinavian heritage, Thor was dressed as the Norse God of Thunder and hailed Phil with great enthusiasm. “SON OF COUL! Is this not the BEST of holidays? Drinking games and buckets of candy and dressing up. Truly epic, my friend. AND YOU LOOK AWESOME! WHAT SAY YOU, BRUCE?”</p><p>Mad Scientist Bruce, complete with a lab coat and googly-eye glasses, dropped more candy into the pumpkin bucket. “Uh, yeah. Epic and awesome, Thor. Didn’t expect to see you tonight, Phil,” he added, nodding sagely as Phil explained the reason behind his trick or treating. “Right. That’s pretty cool. Umm, word to the wise, be careful out there. Wade’s running around the corridors with mistletoe.”</p><p>Phil cocked an eyebrow beneath his helmet. “Wrong holiday?”</p><p>“He cares little about such things,” Thor grinned, grabbing Bruce and hauling him back inside.</p><p><strong>Number fourteen</strong><br/>
May Parker who lived with her nephew, Peter, had been delighted to see Phil in his costume again. To May's relief, not being one for comic books, Comicons, or superheroes in general, Phil used to take Peter, the world's biggest Spiderman fan, to the NYCC until he was old enough to go with his friends. One year they'd actually met Stan Lee which neither of them had shut up about for a scarily long time.</p><p>"Still fits then?" she asked, poking at the white star in the centre of his chest.</p><p>Phil tried not to yank at the snug material currently being chewed between his ass cheeks. "More or less," he deadpanned.</p><p>May snorted a very unladylike laugh. "Peter'll be sorry he missed you. He’s been invited to the Iron Man Halloween Monster Mash at Stark Tower. Been buzzing about it for weeks."</p><p>Phil grinned knowing Peter would have leaped at the chance to see around the Tower and meet his hero.</p><p>"Snappy name," he quipped.</p><p>May rolled her eyes. "And then some."</p><p><strong>The Last Apartment</strong><br/>
Phil debated whether or not to stop at the last apartment. Frank was an ex-vet with a notoriously volatile temper, however, when he saw Wade Wilson, the building’s resident oddball, running towards him clad from head to toe in a tight-fitting red and black leather costume, with a pair of Katana on his back, and a large clump of mistletoe held aloft, he took a chance and knocked on the door. It was yanked open and a shotgun appeared. Phil ducked and the shotgun ended up pressed against Wade’s nose as he skidded to a halt behind Phil. The hand not holding the mistletoe rose up and felt along the double barrels.</p><p>“Is that a big stiff... gun in your hand, Francis, or are you just pleased to see me?” he asked, breathily.</p><p>“Fuck off, asshole,” Frank growled.</p><p>Wade turned his head to look at a fixed point above Phil’s shoulder and said, “My cue to exit, stage left,” before taking a theatrical side-step sideways and turning to run back down the corridor.</p><p>“I swear that crazy fucker gets worse every year.” He followed Phil’s disapproving look towards the shotgun in his hand. “What? It’s not loaded. Probably. Besides, a cartridge of buckshot in his head would do him the world of good. Here,” he said, emptying the last of a bowl of candy into the bucket. “Now you fuck off too before I land in the shit for shooting Captain America.”</p><p>Yeah, going trick or treating had been surprisingly fun, if a little bizarre.</p>
<hr/><p>A few days later there's a knock on Phil's door. It's Katie. Phil smiles at her and crouches down to speak to her. “Well, hi. Feeling better?”</p><p>He’s taken aback when a small pair of arms wrap around his neck in a tight hug. “Lots. Thank you for my book and candy, Mr Phil.”</p><p>Hesitantly, he gently hugs her back. He flicks his eyes across the corridor to see Clint leaning against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest, feet crossed at the ankles grinning from ear to ear.</p><p>“You’re very welcome, Katie,” he tells her. “Did you enjoy it?”</p><p>“Yup,” Katie pulls back to look at him and launches into a re-telling of the story. “My favorite part was when Spook fell off the witch’s broom, and Jamie catches him, and he loves him and wants to keep him, and Grimalda, that’s the witch, doesn’t love him but wants to keep him cuz she’s allergic to cats, and they have a competition to see who gets to keep him, and Grimalda turns him into a spider and a leaf and hot coal…”</p><p>“Whoa, Katie Kate! Maybe Mr Phil doesn’t want to hear the whole book,” Clint says.</p><p>Kate thinks about that for a moment. “Maybe you wouldn’t want to read it to me if you know how the story ended,” she says, sadly.</p><p>Phil’s eyes widen. “You… want <em>me</em> to read it to you?”</p><p>Katie gives him a skeptical look. “Well, yeah, Mr Phil. How else are you going to know who Spook belongs to? This is for you,” she tells him, changing the subject thrusting a slightly crumpled piece of paper at him. He accepts it and smiles at the curly body with four stick legs and a tail.</p><p>“It’s Spook,” she says.</p><p>“It’s perfect,” he assures her. “Thank you, Katie.”</p><p>She grins at him and runs back to Clint, squeezing past his legs to return to the apartment.</p><p>“Now that Miss Puke-fest is better if you’re not busy tonight would you like to come across for a meal? To say thanks properly.”</p><p>Phil stands up again. “You don’t need to do that…”</p><p>Clint’s hand reaches up to the back of his neck to nervously rub the back of it, “Umm, sure. Just a thought.”</p><p>“... but I’d like to,” Phil finishes quickly, in case Clint thinks he’s not interested. God knows he’s definitely interested. “A lot.”</p><p>Clint ducks his head and smiles. “If you come across about seven? Katie usually goes to bed at about half-past. I know she’d really like you to read the book to her.”</p><p>Phil nods. “It’s a date. I mean…” He blushes and breaks off, switching his gaze to the side then dropping it to the floor. When he looks up again, Clint’s standing in front of him.</p><p>“Wow! I didn’t think anything fazed Mr Cool-guy-in-a-suit. Guess I was wrong,” he teases. “It’s a date so long as you don’t mind reading the story to Katie twice an’ being interrupted at least once.”</p><p>“Think I can handle that,” Phil replies, quirking his lips up in a half-smile, his blue eyes sparkling with humour. Clint tries to ignore the deep crinkles in the corners which are surprisingly sexy but it's difficult.</p><p>“That’s better,” Clint says. He touches his fingers lightly to Phil’s hand for an instant before turning back to his apartment. “See you at seven, Phil.”</p><p>“Look forward to it,” Phil says, and by the time the door closes, the half-smile has widened to a huge grin. Maybe the pathetic crush wasn’t so pathetic after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Halloween, folks. Something a little light-hearted, hope you enjoyed :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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